Writing is Born of Misery

Writing does not cause misery, it is born of misery. -- Montaigne

This is the quote that appears in the Misery novel by Stephen King. Now I know i keep referencing that book, but man is that an awesome book. And the reason i bring this up is because it's completely true. Now the question i must ask myself is "do i write because i'm miserable?" I don't want to say yes to this, but i can't say no.

I'm unsatisfied with my life at the moment: with where i live, who i live with, and pretty much everything in between. So i write, vigorously. However, under no circumstances am i saying that this is the only reason why i write. I write because it's what i'm good at, it's what i love, and it's my obsession. when i write, i must write every day. A chapter a day is what my limit is, and nothing less, because to me, it's sort of a form of escapism. Exactly like reading, except the other way around.


When you love to write, it can be like crack. You need to do it, and you need to do it often. It's all i think about and all i mostly care about. I don't know if misery is the birthplace of my addiction, but it certainly plays a part now, and i don't regret it. For some people, when they're stuck in an unsatisfying situation, it gives them drive to do better to get out of that situation. And there's nothing wrong with that at all.